The Girl Who Just Wanted to Forget
by OLHrocksursocks
Summary: After a drunken night Maya must make a life-altering decision.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone! This story is actually based off a dream I had a few weeks ago. I haven't watched Degrassi in a really long time so some of the characters might be a bit OOC. Also I might not be including some characters because I don't know them well enough. But I really wanted to get this out there because I think it's an interesting concept so bear with me! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

* * *

She stood in front of the mirror. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was streaked with tears. But she didn't see any of it. All she could see was Zig's angry face, his green eyes narrowed at her in frustration.

"This is all your fault!" he cried.

The words echoed in her mind, coursing through her veins like poison. And she believed them.

What you have to understand before I tell you this story, is that despite Zig's words this was not entirely Maya Matlin's fault.

Yes, it was partly her fault. But this story, just as many before it, has more than one character.

_**A List of People Zigmund Novak Conveniently Forgot:**_

_**The senior who just wanted to have a little fun**_

_**The friend that gave up **_

_**The sad boy that was tired of hurting**_

Though they had their reasons, all three of these people are just as guilty as the girl who just wanted to forget.

And soon you will find out why.

But first we must start at the beginning.

At the night that changed many lives.

I remember it was raining, the sky was a deep shade of black. A foreboding sign of what was coming.

To some it was the anniversary of a tragedy, to others it was just a normal day.

Drew Torres was one of the latter.

He and new his girlfriend, Becky Baker had been fighting for a little over a week. And that day in school, during a heated argument, they hit their breaking point. Becky broke things off and stormed away in tears.

Knowing that his friend was irritated and embarrassed by his ex's outburst, Dallas decided to take it upon himself to cheer Drew up.

Another player in this game.

He decided that they should have a house party while Drew's parents were away for the night.

Drew, looking for any opportunity to escape the lonely feeling that accompanies a breakup, happily agreed.

So they bought the beer, tweeted an invite to everyone and anyone, turned the music up, kicked back and relaxed.

Meanwhile, a certain girl was sitting alone in her room playing her cello. She had asked to be alone tonight and no one argued.

Though she tried not to, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

The sad boy who was tired of hurting.

In the past year a lot had changed, she had changed. She had moved on and started feeling better.

She didn't think that today would be so hard.

She was wrong.

May 8, 2014, the year anniversary of Campbell Saunders's death. How could she ever forget?

She shook her head, it should be easy.

He's gone and he's not coming back. He made a choice, there's no use being so sad.

But she was. No matter what she said or did, today she could not bury that feeling of loss.

She assumed that was normal, but it didn't make it any easier.

When she first read the tweet from Drew Torres, she thought nothing of it.

But as she sat there, the music flowing gently from her fingers, it started to appeal to her.

Perhaps a party could make this feeling go away.

Cam wouldn't have wanted her locked up in her room all night.

Finally she made her decision. With a small sigh, she put her cello away. Then quietly, she snuck out her bedroom window.

* * *

The next morning the headache woke her up. It was an unbearable, pounding pain radiating from the center of her skull. The nausea didn't hit until a few seconds later.

She could sense sunlight shimmering beyond her closed eyes, but the thought of facing it made her stomach turn.

How many drinks had she had last night?

She tried desperately to remember the party from the night before but all she could remember were bits and pieces.  
That was never a good sign…

Suddenly there was a deep groan and some rustling beside her. She tried very hard to keep absolutely still and soon the room went quiet again.

She was now very aware of the warmth of another person beside her.

After counting very slowly to ten she opened her eyes.

She was laying in an unfamiliar, messy room.

Sunlight streamed in from behind Degrassi blue curtains.

But that was not what made her head throb the most.

She looked down at her own body. It was wrapped in a tangle of blankets and upon further inspection it was confirmed that she was in fact, completely naked.

Maya Matlin wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what was going on.

But she didn't want to.

There was another soft groan from the person beside her.

_**They're waking up! **_She thought frantically.

She could worry about what happened later, right now she needed to get out of here!

She searched her side of the room for her clothes with her heavy eyes.

When she had found the majority, she slipped from the blankets and onto the floor.

Cautiously, she crawled on all fours to her scattered clothing.

She quickly pulled the discarded articles on.

Bra, underwear, jeans…

_**Where the hell is my shirt?**_ She thought.

Her mind came to the only conclusion. It had to be on the other side of the room.

But the sleeping figure, whoever it was, was also on the other side of the room. And she was not ready to face that.

But she couldn't just walk home without a shirt!

Finally she sighed, closed one eye, and tip toed to the other side of the room.

She didn't make it very far.

She misjudged the distance and ran into a desk, causing a cup of pencils, paper clips, and one marble to hit the hardwood floor with a shatter.

The sleeping figure finally woke up. He sat straight up and stared at the flustered, hung over blonde girl.

"What's going on?" He asked, startled.

The blonde girl's lip quivered as she finally turned to face her fear. Her heart dropped at the sight of his face. Drew Torres's face.  
This was bad, very, very bad.

"I can't find my shirt." She said simply. And then she sunk down to the floor.

* * *

Drew looked around and assessed the situation. He knew the girl sitting in front of him was Katie Matlin's little sister, but he couldn't for the life of him remember her name.

The party had gotten a bit out of hand last night, and he'd had a few too many. But could he really have slept with his ex's little sister?

There's no way.

He looked her up and down. She was so little, no older than a sophomore.

He cleared his throat. "Do you remember anything from last night?" he asked her.

She shook her head slowly.

"Did we…?" He didn't have to finish his question. The girl blushed a deep shade of red.

"I think so, yes." She answered him.

Her voice sounded tired and scared.

The guilt set in then, it started eating away at Drew's heart like a parasite.

And I'm telling you right now, he'll be feeling that a lot in this story.

"Just take one of my shirts from the closet." He instructed her. "It'll get you home."

He didn't want to look at her anymore, he wanted her gone as soon as possible.

What had he been thinking?! He needed to call Becky. He needed to apologize, he needed to beg for her back. Somehow that would make this all better.

The young girl nodded and grabbed a shirt quickly. Then she made for the door.

"Hey listen, you aren't going to tell anyone about this are you?" Drew asked her. She didn't look like she wanted to, but he had to be sure.

She shook her head. "It stays between us." She whispered.

Drew nodded and the girl ran out the door.

He thought that it would end there.

He thought wrong.

* * *

Zig woke up on an unfamiliar couch with a nagging hang over to the sound of a screaming woman.

He sat up slowly and came face to face with an angry Audra Torres.

"Well look who finally decided to wake up." She said to him. "The party is over. Now get out of my house! If you hurry I'm sure you can catch half-naked blondie and give her that shirt back."

Zig looked down at the light pink bundle balled up in his hands and his heart dropped.

He looked down at himself. His pants were only half on and the rest of his clothes were a disheveled mess.

He had a memory of Maya on top of him, their lips pressed together. But that was it. That's all he could remember…

Did they…?

"Are you deaf? The party is over. Leave and don't come back." Audra told him, looking very annoyed.

Zig pulled himself back together and fixed his clothes on the way out the door.

Maya must've run out before he woke up…

He needed to talk to her. He needed to fix this.

* * *

_2 months later…_

Maya had been avoiding everyone since that night. Zig had found her once and wanted to talk, but she told him to pretend the night never happened.

That's what she was trying to do.

She was ashamed and embarrassed of herself.

She had lost her virginity that night and she couldn't remember a thing about it.

Summer had brought a welcome chance for isolation but as the days wore on she realized it wouldn't be so easy to forget that night.

She had missed two periods… and that was very unusual for her. There was also the puking for no apparent reason.

These were not good signs.

So one warm July morning instead of heading to the pool with friends or sleeping in like a normal teenager, Maya found herself standing alone in a convenience store bathroom waiting for a timer to go off.

That morning marks the day Maya Matlin's life was shattered.

She was pregnant.


	2. Chapter 2

So Chapter 2 begins… Welcome back.

I threw a lot of information at you in Chapter 1. I apologize if it was a lot to take in.

It would seem in my haste to get started I forgot to formally introduce myself.

I will be your narrator for the extent of this story and I must explain a few things about myself before we continue.

First and foremost, I no longer have an identity, for I am no longer alive.

I can make no contact with the characters in this story, yet I still walk among them.

I cannot explain to you why I am still stuck on earth. Perhaps there is no heaven, or this is my version of hell. I do not know.

But I prefer to think of myself as a guardian angel of sorts.

It makes the long nights easier…

That's enough about me though. We'll be seeing each other again soon. I'll try my best to keep my comments to myself during the story.

Back to the drama.

* * *

Maya sat alone in that bathroom stall for a long time. She was frozen; she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, and her heart was pounding.

How could she have let this happen? Her life was over. How was she going to tell her parents? And what about school?

How was she going to tell Katie?

_Hey sis, surprise! I'm pregnant with your ex's baby._

The next realization hit her then and it hit her hard.

Oh God, this was Drew Torres's baby…

Her stomach flipped at the thought, pushing her already uneasy stomach to its limit. She fell to her knees and retched over the toilet.

When she was finished, she was finally able to get up and leave the stall.

She went to the sink and splashed her face with cold water, trying to decide what to do next.

She wrapped the positive test in a paper towel and shoved it in her bag.

Then with a sigh she decided she had to leave.

She was careful to avoid seeing herself in the mirror on her way out.

* * *

Outside of the store, she pulled out her phone.

Her mind was going in 10 different directions. She needed help, and there was only one person she could think of going to; her sister.

Katie was away at a soccer camp again this summer and would be headed straight for Stanford in the fall.

She really wanted to tell her, but there was no guarantee that she wouldn't rat her out to their mom and dad right away.

Maya was not ready for them to know yet.

Her stomach felt sick again, but she swallowed the bile.

She had never felt so thoroughly alone.

My heart ached for the poor girl. I watched her as she stood alone on the sidewalk, holding back tears.

I wished I could say something to her, do something to make the pain go away. But all I could do was watch in silence.

I willed her to call her sister, I knew Katie would be a comfort to her. But I could understand her hesitation.

Finally, she put the phone to her ear.

One ring, two, three.

"Hey! Long time no talk, little sis!" Her sister greeted.

"Hey Katie…" Maya replied quietly. She began walking, even though she wasn't sure of her destination.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked.

Maya paused and bit her lip.

"Maya?" Katie asked again, the concern building in her voice.

"Katie, I have to tell you something… But I don't want you to freak out okay?" Maya said.

"Okay, now you're scaring me. Just tell me!"

"Not until you promise you won't freak out."

She heard Katie sigh. "Okay I promise. Now what's going on?"

Maya took a deep breath. She hadn't noticed, but her fingers were shaking.

"I might be sorta, kinda, a little bit pregnant…" Maya admitted quickly. She then closed her eyes and clenched her teeth waiting for the backlash.

Katie was silent.

"Katie?" Maya asked after a few moments.

"Please tell me this is a joke…" Katie said.

"Why would I joke about something like this?" Maya exclaimed.

"I don't know Maya, why would you let yourself get pregnant at fifteen?!" Katie shot back.

"Please Katie, save the lecture. I'm sure I'll be getting plenty of them soon. I just found out and I don't know what to do. I just need help." Maya felt the tears burning in her eyes.

"Okay, okay…"

Maya could picture exactly what Katie was doing. She had one hand on her head and her eyes closed.

"Who's the father?" Katie asked.

Maya froze. She couldn't tell Katie the truth, not yet. "I… I don't want to tell anyone yet. Not until I tell him."

"Well Maya, you should probably get a move on with that. That would be the first thing I did. It takes two to make a baby, and he should have to support you through this. You have options you need to talk through with him." She explained.

Maya nodded, she knew Katie was right, but she barely knew Drew. It would be a very awkward situation.

"And what if he doesn't want to stick around?" Maya asked.

"Then I'll drive back to Toronto and kick his ass. But honestly you can't be sure until you let him know. You'll need someone to watch out for you there. And he has a right to know. That kid is a piece of him."

Maya sighed. "Do I have to tell him right now?"

"Not necessarily, but this will probably hit him almost as hard as it hit you. So soon."

"Katie… I'm scared." Maya admitted.

"I know. But you'll be okay. Remember you have your options, and I'll support you in whatever you choose."

"Thank you Katie." Maya whispered, the tears escaping her eyes. "One more thing though?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Please don't tell anyone about this. I'm going to tell Mom and Dad soon okay? I just want to do it on my own terms."

"Okay Maya. Just be careful and do what's right for you." Katie said.

"Okay…"

"And call me if you need anything."

"I will." Maya answered.

"I love you baby sis."

"I love you too."

After a pause, Maya hung up.

A few minutes later, she made up her mind.

She started walking, this time with a destination.

* * *

The summer was going by quick for Drew Torres.

I had been watching him since the night of that faithful party with mild curiosity.

He had gotten back together with Becky Baker, graduated from Degrassi, and was voted prom king in that time.

But after all the excitement of the spring came a lonely summer.

All of his friends, it would seem, were moving on.

Dallas went home a while back, Clare was leaving for Columbia in a week, and Becky would be off to university in August.

Drew; however, was going nowhere.

His plan was to stay in Toronto and go to college there.

Despite a successful senior year, his GPA was low and colleges didn't smile fondly upon dropouts, no matter what the reason.

Needless to say not many schools accepted him…

So the end of summer wasn't something he liked to think about.

One late July afternoon he was watching TV down in his basement when there was a knock on the door upstairs.

A few minutes later his mom called down to him from the top of the steps.

"Drew, there's someone at the door for you."

Drew sighed and got up. Who could it be? Becky was supposed to be spending the whole day with her family, and any of his friends would've just come to the sliding glass door of the basement.

When he got upstairs, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Matlin?" he asked.

It was indeed the blonde sister of Katie Matlin, the one he had spent the night with a few months ago. She was standing in the foyer with Audra Torres.

She didn't look very good. Her face was really pale and she seemed shaky.

Drew tried to ignore the nervous feeling in his stomach.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her.

She cleared her throat and eyed Audra nervously. "I umm… I have a summer assignment about student body elections. And I thought since you were student body president last year at Degrassi maybe I could interview you?"

"Uh… yeah sure I guess." Drew said, though a bit apprehensive. "Mom, we'll be downstairs."

Audra nodded. "Just be finished before dinner." She said before walking away.

Drew led the blonde down the stairs and plopped back down on the couch.

"So, what do you wanna know…?" Drew asked.

The girl looked down. "Do you know my first name?" She asked quietly.

Drew looked up at her. "That's not a question about elections…"

"Do you know my first name?" she asked again.

"No, okay I don't. What's your point?" He was getting irritated now

_Leave it to the Matlins to cause a scene… _He thought.

"It's Maya." She told him.

"Okay, great. Is that what you came here to tell me?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Do you… do you remember that party at the end of the year? The one where I ended up staying the night here."

Drew's stomach dropped. "I don't remember much of it. I blacked out halfway through…"

"So… so you don't know whether or not you used protection?" she mumbled.

That's what made him jump up. "Please don't tell me what I think you're trying to tell me." He begged her.

She dug around in her bag for a minute and then pulled a white stick and showed it to him.

"It's positive." She whispered.

"No." Drew said. "It must be wrong. I mean there are such things as false positives right?"

"It's not wrong… But I can take another one if you want"

Drew raked his fingers through his hair. "Oh my God…" He paced for a few moments. "And you're sure it's mine?"

"Pretty sure yeah, seeing as you're the only guy I've ever been with." Maya snapped.

"Oh my God…" Drew said again. "Okay, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay." He said more to himself than to Maya. "So are you uhh… are you going to keep it?"  
Maya shrugged. "I…I don't know. I haven't really thought about it yet."

Drew nodded. "Here sit down."

They both sat down on the couch; scooting as far away as they could from each other.

It was almost comical.

"So… how old are you exactly?" he asked her.

"I'll be sixteen in December." She admitted.

Here's that guilt I was telling you about in Chapter 1. It filled Drew's chest like cement.

"Sixteen…" he mumbled, shaking his head. "Well… what're we going to do?"  
"Well, I don't think I want an abortion. So that rules one out." Maya said quietly.

Drew nodded and it was silent for a long time.

"But look, you don't have to do anything if you don't want to." she said. "I mean we barely even know each other and you dated my sister and I'm kind of really terrified of what might happen if she finds out you're the father and we were both really drunk when it happened..." she sighed. " What I'm trying to say is, I'll be fine on my own, really. I just thought you should know what was going on I guess."

"So you're letting me off the hook?" he asked. He was too shocked to argue with her.

"Yeah, I guess. If I decide to keep it, you can send me money every once and a while or something." She told him.

_**A Fact about Maya Matlin:**_

_**She had no idea how hard it was to be a single mother**_

All she knew was right now she wanted to get away from this horribly awkward situation and the Drew Torres that came with it.

Drew opened his mouth to ask her another question but at the same time his phone rang.

It was Becky.

Drew looked from the phone to Maya and then back again.

"I'll let myself out." Maya said quickly. She grabbed her bag and rushed up the stairs before Drew could stop her.

Then with a sigh Drew answered the phone.

He listened to Becky talk for a good hour, but he wasn't hearing a word she said.

All he could think about was the fact that there was a girl out there carrying his kid.

_His baby._

And from the looks of it that girl didn't want him to have anything to do with any of it.

No, to be honest he didn't want to have a kid, but he didn't want to be a failure either.

With a heavy sigh he sat down on the couch with his head in his hands.

It was times like these that he desperately wished he still had Adam to talk to.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: To anyone who saw the previous note about Zig not living with Maya in this story, I totally lied. He does live with her. I decided it would be easier than rewriting his whole back story. Thanks for reading!

* * *

It was a Monday morning; the first day of school for the students of Degrassi.

Maya woke up 20 minutes before her alarm; just in time to get up and run to the bathroom clutching her stomach.

After emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet, she curled up in a ball on the floor and fell back to sleep.

The next thing she knew someone was knocking very loudly on the door.

"Maya? You've been in there for a while… I know you want to look good for the first day of school and all, but make up can only do so much." It was Zig. He was trying to joke with her, but even I could sense the hint of worry in his voice.

Maya opened her eyes slowly, she had drool on the side of her face and her stomach was still turning.

"I'll be out in a minute Zig!" she groaned. Slowly she pulled herself up, brushed her teeth and splashed cold water on her face.  
When she opened the door, Zig was still standing outside waiting.

He looked her up and down. "Are you feeling alright? You look horrible."  
She knew she looked bad, she didn't need stupid Zig to point it out.

So she ignored his question and brushed past him. "It's all yours…" she muttered.

When she got back to her room she laid down on her bed, wishing desperately for another hour of sleep.

But the clock was ticking and she knew that she needed to get ready and go to school.

She didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to herself and missing the first day of school would do just that.

So she got up and put on the first thing she could find; an old t-shirt and jeans.

Then as she was running a brush through her hair, her phone buzzed.

It was a notification from Facerange; a friend request.

She didn't think anything of it. Well… until she saw the name of the person sending it to her.

Drew Torres.

Her heart stopped. Drew looked her up?

She stared at the screen for a few minutes before finally deciding to add him.

What could it hurt?  
"Maya, you're going to be late!" Her mom called from downstairs.

And just like that she was off to start her junior year. It was definitely going to be interesting…

* * *

"She just told me to 'pretend it never happened'. Easy for her to say, she's the one who ran out on me in the morning without a word."

Zig was sitting in the hallway with Grace in between classes. Grace was on her laptop, her headphones around her neck as usual.

"Okay, if we keep talking about this I might be sick." Grace said, rolling her eyes. "She regrets it, just let it go."

Zig sighed. "I'm trying…"

"Maybe if you just do what she told you to do and pretend it never happened, things will actually get better." Grace suggested.

Then the bell rang.

"What do you have next?" Zig asked.

"English, you?"

"History."

"Want to skip?" She asked.

"No, I think I'll go today." He said.

Grace rolled her eyes. "Only because you're hoping Maya's in your class."

"Not at all." Zig smiled. "Okay, maybe a little bit."

She laughed. "You're pathetic."

Zig shrugged "I prefer to call it optimistic." And then he walked away.

* * *

It would seem his optimism paid off, as Maya was in his next class.

He quickly took the seat next to her.

But as usual, she avoided eye contact with him and ignored his attempts at making conversation.

He also noted that she seemed very pale and sad.

He had to find out what was going on with her…

* * *

At lunch he met up with Grace at the picnic tables across from the school.

After a few minutes of him ranting about how worried he was she finally had enough.

"Look if I can help you figure out what's going on with Blondie will you finally shut up about it?" She asked him.

"Yeah, of course. But how are you going to do that?"

"The power of technology…" she told him. She pulled out her laptop and began typing away.

Zig peered over her shoulder. "Wait, you're hacking into her Facerange? Didn't we already go through this once? It didn't exactly have a happy ending for Maya."

"Do you want to find out what's going on or not?"

"I do."  
"Then don't go all nark-mode on me. It's not going to hurt anything…"

She pulled up Maya's page effortlessly. "Okay so… a friend request from Drew Torres, lots of game requests…" she paused. "Here we go, messages…"  
Zig looked away and began picking at his sandwich halfheartedly. He didn't feel right about this.

After a few minutes of silence, he began to think Grace hadn't found anything important. He was very wrong…

"I think I might know why she's been acting so weird lately…" Grace said finally. She turned the computer screen to face him.

He almost didn't want to look. But there was something in Grace's tone that made him do it; it was solemn, sympathetic even. That and the curiosity that had been building in him for the past couple months.

The screen held a conversation from a few days ago between Maya and her sister.

_**Maya**: I just… I don't know what I'm going to do yet… But I'll figure it out._

_**Katie**: You can't keep trying to overcome this alone Maya. You need help._

_**Maya**: I know… But it's complicated._

_**Katie**: Maya, you're 15 years old. You need to tell Mom and Dad that you're pregnant so that they can take you to a doctor and make sure everything's okay. _

There was more but Zig couldn't read it.

Suddenly everything around him started spinning.

He pushed the computer back towards Grace.

No, this couldn't be happening… Maya? Pregnant? No wonder she had been avoiding him!

This was all his fault.

His heart was beating a mile a minute now. Should he go talk to her? But how would he explain how he found out?  
Well… he couldn't just wait here until she decided to tell him. I mean, what if she chose not to tell him at all and just get an abortion?

Grace snapped her fingers in front of his face in an attempt to bring him back to reality.

"Well you really did it this time Novak…" she said shaking her head.

"I…I…" He couldn't form a sentence. All he could think was one word over and over again.

_Pregnant _

Oh god… he was going to be a Dad…

"Look, don't jump to any conclusions. We're not even sure it's yours. I mean it could be Hollingsworth's for all we know." Grace told him.

"No." Zig said quickly. "It's mine, Grace. She and Moneybags never went that far, and they broke up a long time ago. Maya is not the type to jump into bed with just anyone."  
"And yet she slept with you?"

"That was different."

"Whatever you say Novak." She said.

"I have to go… I'll see you later." He said, quickly grabbing his stuff and heading towards the school.

* * *

Maya was at her locker after lunch. It had been a long morning, and all she really wanted to do was go home.

But she still had two more classes to get through...

With a sigh, she slammed her locker shut and turned to head to her next class, only to find Zig standing there.

Apparently she also had an awkward conversation to get through. Wonderful...

She stood still, staring at her shoes, waiting for him to speak to her. But he was silent.

Finally she looked up at him.

He looked pale and nervous.

I personally was urging her to walk away. I knew Zig would only complicate her situation. All she needed to do was brush past him without a word, and he would let her go.

But there was something that made her stay.

She waited patiently without a word.

"Maya…" He finally choked out. "We need to talk."

"I already told you…" she started.

"No, Maya this is different…" He lowered his voice. "I know."

Her eyes widened, but she tried her best to keep her cool. "What are you talking about?"

"I know." He repeated.

Her heart started pounding. Was it possible that Zig had put the signs together? Did he know she was pregnant? Or was he talking about what happened with Drew at the party?

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" she muttered. Then she tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her arm.

"I know," he took a deep breath "about the baby…" he whispered.

Maya froze. Should she play dumb? No, it was too late, she might as well own up.

"How?" She asked.

"Does it matter?" He replied.

She took a step away from him just in time for the late bell to ring.

"Yeah it does." She looked around at the emptying hallway. "We can't talk about it here." She told him.

"After school?" he suggested.  
She nodded.

Then without another look, she hurried off to her next class.

* * *

Maya spent the rest of the day wondering how Zig had found out about her predicament.

Had he simply picked up on the signs? I mean they did live together…

But Zig was never the perceptive type…

What if someone at school found out?  
What if someone had seen her buying the pregnancy test? What if the whole school was talking about her right now?

She looked around her classroom. Everyone was either looking up at the teacher, doodling, or texting. No one was looking at her, no one was whispering.

She knew what it was like to be the talk of the school. She had been on multiple occasions.

If people were gossiping about her, she would know.

So how did Zig find out?

She supposed she would find out soon enough…

* * *

Zig was waiting for her in the living room when she got home. He was pacing with his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

Maya paused in the doorway for a few minutes, trying to figure out a way to get out of this.

When nothing came to her, she stepped into the room and cleared her throat softy.

He turned to her

"Hey." he said quietly.

"Hey." she replied.

Then there was a long silence; neither teen was sure what to say. The atmosphere of the room was tense and awkward.

"How long have you known?" Zig asked finally.

"About a month now" she answered.

"And you're keeping it?"

"I think so, yeah."

He took a step towards her "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I don't know I guess I just didn't think you would care." Maya shrugged. She didn't understand why it was such a big deal. Why was he so upset?

"Didn't think I would care?! Maya, look I know that night was a mistake, and maybe you're still upset about it, but this changes everything!" He cried.

"What are you talking about?" She questioned.

"The night of Drew Torres's party. I was so stupid. You were drinking and I knew about you being a mean drunk, but still I let what you said get to me. And so I started drinking too. The next thing I knew you were all over me and I didn't stop it, I should've, I could've, but I didn't." He sighed. "I blacked out halfway through the party so I don't remember everything. But when I woke up I was half dressed and Drew's mom was saying something about you running out and I guess now's not a good time to ask you if you want your pink sweater back..."

Maya just stared at him.

Zig slapped a hand to his face. "Ugh but I must've been too drunk to think about protection and oh my God Maya I am so sorry."

"Zig..." She started.

And I tell you now dear readers, if Zig Novak had let her finish, this story would have had a drastically different plot...

But he didn't. He didn't wait long enough for Maya to tell him the truth about what happened that night, instead he cut her off.

"Maya, look I know I haven't been the most reliable over the years but that's going to change. I'm going to change. I'm going to be there for you, whatever you choose. This is half my kid right? Half my responsibility? All the stuff with the drugs, the gang, it's all over. From now on it's all about this kid. Birthing classes, doctors' appointments, Pilates, whatever. I'll be there."

Maya couldn't speak or move. She was shocked.

She had been sure she had spent that night with Drew. I mean she had woken up with him. Was it possible that she had been with Zig too? He sure seemed to think they had been...

She wanted to fall to her knees or run away from him or... or...

What should she do?

"Zig... Pilates?" She choked out.

It was all she could manage.

"Right, I got a little ahead of myself there. Sorry." He laughed. "But you get the general idea."

She was silent.

"I guess you probably need some time to think and stuff. Just uhh... let me know." He mumbled.

Then he started to walk away.

"Zig!" She called after him quickly. He turned around. "There's something I need to tell you..."

"Yeah?"

She paused. The truth was hanging on the tip of her tongue, all she needed to do was spit it out. But then she looked up at his smiling, slightly worried, caring face.

He was willing to take care of her. Plus he was her age, they were friends; people would expect a him to be her baby's father. It would be more normal this way. And honestly if he remembered them being together, it was a possibility.

So in another moment of poor judgment, she decided to swallow the truth and bury it deep inside herself.

"I'm really scared." She blurted out.

"Me too." Zig told her. "But we can do this. I mean, we've been through way worse right? As long as we're together we can get by." He smiled.

She did her best to smile back and as she did her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She gratefully took this opportunity to turn away from him.

It was a message from Facerange.

_**Drew:** Can we talk? _

Maya clicked the screen off quickly and glanced over her shoulder.

She had almost forgotten about Drew…

Almost.

With a heavy sigh, she tucked her phone back into her pocket and decided to ignore him until she could figure out a plan.

She thought everything would work out in the end.

I; however, had been watching Drew for the past month. He was worried, restless, and most importantly very resolved that he was not going to fail his child.

Ignoring him was not going to be easy.

Maya had no idea what she had just gotten herself into...


	4. Chapter 4

"You didn't need to walk me to school." Maya said after a long silence.

"I know, but I wanted to." Zig replied with a smile.

There wasn't much the girl could do. Zig had sprung on her the moment she walked down the stairs this morning. He offered to walk her to school, to carry her books, to make her breakfast; he probably would have offered to carry her if she'd let it get that far.

She tried to refuse him as much as possible, but protesting too much would make this look even more suspicious than it already did.

She could feel her mother watching the exchange, and she hoped to God she thought it was nothing more than Zig trying to win her daughter's affections.

So she had left with him, but she was carrying her own stuff.

The walk was awkward. Neither of them said much, and Zig kept glancing over at her with this worried expression like at any moment she would collapse.

She had just told him last night that she was pregnant, and now it was like she had the word **FRAGILE** tattooed on her forehead. In his mind, she had become completely breakable, and she did not like that one bit.

Zig cleared his throat. "So…uh… when do you think we should tell your parents?"

Maya stared at the ground. "I was thinking about that last night…" she said after a few minutes.

"And?"  
"And… I was thinking never?"

Zig laughed. "I think they'll notice eventually."

"Maybe not, I mean there's always baggy clothes and when the baby is born I could just put it in a basket and leave it on somebody's doorstep. People do it all the time. It makes for a good story when the kid is older."

"Maya." Zig said, his voice more serious.

She sighed. "I know, I know. I'm just not ready. I don't think I can take them hating me."

"They won't hate you." He told her.

"How do you know? I mean they have enough problems to deal with without me messing everything up…"  
"They're your parents, they love you. Sure, they'll be disappointed but I'm sure they'll help you out." He was quiet for a few moments. "Whether you tell them today, or tomorrow, or 6 months from now, I just want you to know I'll be by your side when you do. Whenever you're ready."

Finally she looked up at him. He was staring straight ahead and hadn't slowed his pace.

She smiled to herself.

They were silent the rest of the way to school.

"Thank you." She said when they were about to part ways.

"For what?"

"For being here for me."

"Anytime." He smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before disappearing into the school.

* * *

A few days later Maya was standing at her locker in between classes. So far school had been bearable enough for her. She had busied herself in her studies and tried to forget that soon she would be walking these halls with a stomach the size of a beach ball.

As she was sorting through some papers her phone vibrated.

She pulled it out and was unsurprised to see it was a Facerange message.

Drew had been sending her messages periodically over the past few days. They all basically said the same thing; he wanted to talk. This one was no different.

_Hey. I know things didn't exactly get off to the best start last time we talked but we can't keep pretending this isn't happening. Please just talk to me. I want to be in my kid's life…_

"Hey." A voice said behind her.

Surprised, she slammed her phone down on the top shelf of her locker and turned around.

It was Zig.

"Oh… uh hey." She replied, forcing a smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her quietly.

Maya turned back to her locker. "I'm alright."

"Good." He leaned against the locker beside her. "By the way, I bought you something yesterday. It's nothing special or anything, just something I picked up. Remind me to give it to you after school. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." She mumbled.

Zig could tell that her mind wasn't focused on him at the moment, but he didn't mind. She had a lot to worry about. The best he could do was give her the space he knew she wanted.

"Well I'll see you later." He said, walking away without waiting for a reply. He headed for his own locker farther down the hallway.

"Hey there handsome." A familiar voice called to him.

Zoë Rivas caught up to him.

The two had never actually made it to being a couple, but had been close to it on numerous occasions.

Though lately, he hadn't talked to her much, due to the whole Maya situation.

"Oh, hey Zo."

"Long time no see. Where've you been?"

"I've been around…" He answered, as they finally reached his locker.

Zoë narrowed her eyes at him. She had just finished watching his conversation with Maya. The way he had been looking at her plucked on her nerves, but now seeing that puppy dog look in his eyes, she was boiling. "You know things are never going to change with her, right? She doesn't want you."  
Zig was momentarily taken aback, but he collected himself quickly. He was used to Zoë's harsh ways by now.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"You and Maya. You haven't just 'been around', you've been with her; following her around like a sad puppy. And here I had thought you had actually outgrown that hopeless crush."

"Zoë…" He paused, trying to calculate the right thing to say. "Things are… different this time."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"No, I mean it, they are." He said, turning away from her to put in the combination to his locker. "And as my friend and her friend could you please just…" As he opened his locker, a few books slid off the shelf and onto the floor.

He leaned down to pick them up, but Zoë was quicker. She snatched one of the books up and stared at the cover.

"One Thousand and One Baby Names?" She read.

It was his gift for Maya.

Zig froze, and watched defenselessly as Zoë connected the dots.

She was silent for a moment. "You got her pregnant?!" She asked in a sharp voice.

"No, it's really not what it looks like… I…" Zig started.

But Zoe wasn't listening, she opened the book and found a piece of paper inside with Zig's handwriting on it.

"Maya," She read to him. "Pick a good one. -Zig." She glared up at him.

He was screwed, beyond screwed.

"Zoë, please you can't tell anyone." He pleaded.

She closed the book and handed it to him. She tried to keep her expression cold and angry, but inside she was hurting.

She had really liked Zig. She had hoped that this year would be their year.

They could've been a power couple; could've dominated this whole stupid school.

But instead…

"Enjoy teen fatherhood, Daddy." She said simply, and then walked away.

Zig watched her go with a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Things were about to get very real…

* * *

Zoë was still bubbling with rage when she got to her last class of the day.

She wasn't sure which part of all this bothered her the most.

The fact that Zig had been stupid enough to get another girl pregnant, or that said girl was Maya.

Maya didn't even want him. She had said so herself multiple times. So why would she sleep with him?!

She was starting to remember why she swore off boys last year…

It was too much drama, she just needed to calm down and let it go, focus on more important things.

But it was hard to be calm when the first thing she heard when she entered the classroom was Maya's name.

Miles and Winston were sitting beside each other right next to the door.

"I'm telling you, this year things are finally going to work out between me and Maya." Miles said.

Zoë couldn't help but snort. "Good luck with _that_." She said without thinking.

The two boys looked up at her.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" Miles asked her.

"No, but I can help you." She brushed past them, placed her books on her desk and then turned back to them. "Don't waste your time on Matlin, it's not going to happen."

Miles rolled his eyes. "And why is that?" He asked in a patronizing tone.

She smiled at him.

"Because she's pregnant." She said simply.

"What?" Winston exclaimed.

"And Zig's the father." She added. "Just in case you were curious."

"Novak? You're lying." Miles replied.

"Am I? Go ahead and ask her yourself." She told him, looking quite satisfied. Then she turned and went back up to her seat.

Winston gave Miles a questioning look, but Miles just stared straight ahead, clenching his fist.

* * *

Maya was in the music room afterschool packing up her cello when the door slammed open and a distressed Miles barged in.

"Is it true?" He demanded.

She looked at him with wide eyes; confused and surprised.

It took her a moment to answer. "Is what true?"

"Are you really going to waste your life on him?! Him?!"

"Miles! Calm down!" she cried. "What are you talking about?"

Miles took a deep breath. "Tell me honestly, are you really pregnant?"

Maya stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She took in a shaky breath. "No, that's ridiculous. Why would you think that?" She tried as hard as she could to sound calm.

But Miles's eyes just grew angrier. "You always were a terrible liar." He said. And then he started to leave.

"Miles, wait!" she called after him. He turned around slowly. "It was a mistake okay? Just please don't tell anyone."

Miles shook his head. "I'm not going to tell anyone…" He took a step towards her. "But _him?!_ Novak? Do you know what he is? He's nothing Maya, he doesn't have anything to offer you. And you just gave the rest of your life to him. What are you going to do? Raise a kid in a house you're squatting in?" He laughed bitterly. "You want to know the funniest part? I actually thought that you cared about me. But this whole time you've been screwing that jerk. And after all he's put you through? I thought you were better than that."

"Miles… I…"

But Miles couldn't stand to look at her anymore.

"You know what? Forget it. I just can't believe you turn out to be a slut…"Then he walked out before he could say anything else.

Even he realized that last comment was out of line, but he couldn't control his temper.

When he was gone, Maya slumped back against a wall and started to cry.

She wondered if there was truth in Miles's words.

Her and Zig had been through a lot of rough times. And just because he was being so great now didn't mean he would stay that way once she had the kid.

She took out her phone and looked at the messages from Drew.

Was she making the right decision?


	5. Chapter 5

When Zig's back first hit the lockers he wasn't sure what was happening.

One minute he was walking down the hallway, minding his own business, and the next, someone was slamming him off to the side.

"Hey, what the hell?" He started to complain, but when he looked up he understood.

Miles Hollingsworth stood in front of him, his face a twist of rage.

"I never liked you." Miles said through his teeth. "In fact, I hated you from the very beginning. But I never thought you were this stupid. I mean I actually thought you cared about her, in your own weird, twisted way."

"Okay, you've gone off the deep end this time Hollingsworth…" Zig muttered. "What are you even talking about?" Without waiting for an answer, he started to walk away.

But Miles shoved him back. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm talking about how you ruined a girl's life."

"I didn't ruin anything."

"Oh no? So you're saying you aren't the one who got Maya pregnant?" Miles asked a bit too loud.

"Keep your voice down." Zig warned, his eyes darted around the hallway in a panic. "Who told you that?" he asked.

"Maya just admitted it to me herself." Miles told him.

"Look, you can't…" Zig started.

"Tell anyone? I won't. I wouldn't do that to Maya. Unlike you, I actually care about her. But sooner or later the whole school is going to find out, and she's going to go through hell. And as soon as things get tough, you're going to check out."

Zig glared at him. "I'm not going to bail on her."

Miles took a step back and laughed. "Of course you are. That's what guys like you always do. Everything is fine until things get real, and then, poof, you're gone. And I'm here to tell you that when that day comes; and it will come, you and I both know it, I'll be here to make sure you regret it."

Zig took a step towards him. "What are you going to do rich boy? Sue me?" He took another step, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "You don't know anything about me. So why don't you just save us both a lot of time and admit that you're just jealous that while you were at home feeling sorry for yourself and trying to think of a way to win Maya back, I was out actually hooking up with her."

Zig should've known he was going to get punched, he should've braced himself. But instead he fell against the lockers once again; blood trickling from his nose.

"You know what," Miles said bitterly "you can have her Novak. Anyone stupid enough to waste their time on you, deserves all the pain they get."

Then he turned and left without another word.

Zig sat against the lockers for a few moments, holding his nose. He was seething with anger. Miles didn't know him, he would never leave Maya when things got tough.

Zig leaned his head back against the lockers. It wasn't that long ago that another guy had punched him over Maya. Loving her was a hazardous job…

He shook his head.

Had he really ruined Maya's life? Would he leave her in the end?

He pushed himself up.

No, he couldn't think like that.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he headed to the nurse's office.

* * *

Maya walked home slowly, her eyes still brimming with tears. She needed to talk to Zig, but wasn't sure where to start.

When she finally got home, she was surprised to find that Zig wasn't home yet. It was well past the usual time that they both got home.

She hoped he wasn't looking for her at Degrassi or anything…

"Hey honey." Her mom called from the kitchen.

"Hey Mom." Maya called back. She had been keeping her distance from her mother since she found out about the pregnancy. She knew her mom would suspect something was up if they spent too much time together.

"How was school?"

"It was… fine I guess. I have a lot of homework to do though so I better get started…" She muttered.

"Okay, well I'm going to get started on dinner soon, it should be ready in a little while."

Maya didn't respond, she just started up the steps, but the sound of the front door opening behind her caused her to freeze. When she turned she saw Zig standing in the foyer. He was holding an ice pack against his nose.

Mrs. Matlin got to him before Maya could.

"Zig, what happened?!"

"I- uh fell down the steps at school." He gestured to his nose. "It's not broken, just bruised; the school nurse said it wasn't anything serious."

Maya narrowed her eyes at him, she knew he was lying and her mom did too.

"Well…" her mother said gently after a long silence "Go on upstairs and lay down for a bit. I'll be up to check on you in a little while."

Zig nodded at her, forcing a smile. "Thanks."

He started up the steps, but was forced to stop halfway when he met Maya, still frozen where she stood.

"We need to talk." She whispered to him.

"About?" He whispered back casually.

She huffed. "Everything." Then she turned and walked up to her room.

Zig had no choice but to follow.

She closed the door behind him.

_Oh no, that's never a good sign_ Zig thought.

Maya sat down on her bed and eyed his nose. "What happened?" She questioned.

"I told you. I…"

"No Zig, I mean what really happened." She said.

Zig was quiet for a few minutes.

"I want you to be honest with me, for once." She told him.

He sighed. "Fine, but you're not going to like it."

"I don't care." She said, crossing her arms.

"Miles found me after school…" he said quietly. "He… he wasn't too happy." He grimaced, both at the memory of Miles's words and the stinging in his nose. "I said stuff I shouldn't have, I pushed him too far. It was my fault really."

The two looked at each other for a moment, locked in a tense silence.

Finally Maya sighed. "Come here, you idiot." She said to him.

Zig walked over and sat down on her bed. She took the ice pack from him and placed it gently on his nose.

"Whatever he said to you…" she started.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that he did this to you. He came to see me too. He wasn't thinking straight… I should've done something."

"There wasn't anything you could do." He told her.

"I could've warned you."

Zig chuckled a bit even though it hurt. "Well yeah, a heads up would've been nice. But its fine, can't change the past."

"Does it hurt that bad?"

"No." He lied.

"You know my mom is probably going to want an explanation…"

Zig smiled "I'm sticking to my original story."  
They were silent for a moment.

"Why did you tell him?" Zig asked her quietly.

"What?" Maya looked up at him.

"Why did you tell Miles about… well you know… our situation?"

"I didn't. He came to me wanting to know if it was true or not…" her eyes dropped to the floor. "Someone must've overheard one of our conversations or saw me buying the test or something… The whole school must know by now…"

_Oh right…_ Zig thought. His fight with Miles and aching nose had almost made him forget, almost.

"I know who told him." Zig said quietly.

"Who?"

Zig suddenly focused all of his interest in tracing the patterns on Maya's comforter.

"Zig?"

Zig sighed, he knew she wasn't going to take this well. "I may have accidently told Zoë…"

"You what?! Zoë? As in Zoë Rivas?! As in the girl who hates my guts?!" Maya exclaimed. She dropped the ice pack and stood up.

"She doesn't hate you. And it was an accident. She came to my locker to talk to me and I had a gift for you in there and it slipped out and well… she took it from there…" he explained.

Maya ran her hands through her hair and started pacing. "Now the whole school is going to find out! I'm dead."

"I don't know, I know Zoë, she's really not a bad person. She'll probably just want the drama to play out on its own."

"She told Miles." Maya pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was probably more to hurt him, not you."

Maya sighed. "Is there anyone else?"

"What?"  
"Is there anyone else that knows I'm pregnant that I should know about?"

Zig was silent.

"Well?"

"Grace knows…"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course she does."

"I'm sorry Maya…" he said.

Suddenly Maya stopped pacing and turned to face him. "You know you never told me how you found out I was pregnant."  
Zig froze for a second. "There were… signs... I do live with you, you know."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, right."

"Fine, you want truth? I was worried about you. After what happened at the party, and spending the whole summer with you ignoring me, I was desperate! So Grace helped me hack into your Facerange account to see if we could find out what was going on with you and we found this conversation with your sister…"

"You hacked into my Facerange?! That's a total evasion of my privacy!"

"Well I didn't know what else to do! You wouldn't talk to me! And you did it that one time with Miles." Zig said.

"That was different, I wasn't in my right mind when I did that." Maya explained.

"And who says I was in mine?"

Maya sighed. "Alright… I'm sorry. It doesn't matter now." She sat back down beside him. "We'll just have to tell my parents as soon as possible, just in case word spreads any farther. I'm… I'm not ready yet… but I don't want them to find out from someone else either." She tried to swallow the lump that was rising in her throat.

Zig just nodded.

"They're going to kick you out." She said quietly.

"What?"

"We broke the house rules. They're going to kick you out… And if you're going… I guess I'm going too."

"Maya… we don't have anywhere to go…" Zig told her.

"You think I don't know that?!" she half yelled. "You think I haven't thought this through a million times?!"  
"No… I…"

"Have you thought about it at all?! What comes after all this? You know once I actually have a kid. Have you thought about what the whole school is going to think of me? What my parents are going to think? Have you thought about money and a job and a house? Or have you just been pretending that it's not going to happen? Just letting everyone at Degrassi know my secret before I'm ready and getting into fights with my ex-boyfriends? Typical Zig." Her heart was racing in her chest. Miles's words were on replay in her head.

_He's nothing Maya, he doesn't have anything to offer you._

_What are you going to do? Raise a kid in a house you're squatting in?_

"I have to go…" She whispered quickly. She got up and left the room before Zig could blink.

She got out her phone and texted while she walked down the stairs.

_**Maya: Are you home. I am ready to talk.**_

A minute later her phone beeped.

_**Drew: Sure, come to the basement door.**_

She called out to her mother that she was walking over to a friend's to pick up some history notes.

And Zig got to the top of the steps just in time to see her slam the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Before the Torres house even came into view, Maya began gasping for breath. There was no way to stop herself; her stomach ached, her mind started racing and her heart was filled with the familiar feeling of dread

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, but it was futile.

She was at a loss. She didn't understand her anger at Zig, she didn't know what she was going to say to Drew, but the worst part was that she was pregnant and she didn't know who the father was.

That fact really hadn't hit her until that moment, as she approached Drew's basement door.

What was she going to tell Drew? The last time they spoke, he was the only guy she thought had a possibility of being the father and things had been awkward enough, but now Zig was in the picture… Should she tell him everything? Or lie like she had to Zig?

By the time Drew opened the door, she was in full panic attack mode.

"I'm… sorry… I…" Maya choked out through tears and gasps for air.

"It's okay, it's okay." Drew said gently. "Come in and sit down. It will be alright."

He knew the signs of a panic attack when he saw one. He had seen so much panic himself. It seemed like so long ago to him now…

When Maya pushed herself through the door and onto the couch, Drew moved into action. He grabbed her a box of tissues and a water bottle from a fridge in the back on the room.

He sat the tissues beside her, then kneeled down so he was on her level. He took the cap off the bottle and handed it to her; keeping one hand over her shaky one so she wouldn't spill it everywhere.

"Take a few sips." He said quietly. "If you focus on another action instead of the anxiety, it will help it ease up a bit."

Maya didn't argue, she just sipped the water without a word.

"Now breathe." He instructed. "Everything is alright right now." He smiled at her. "No need to panic, it's just me."

"I'm sorry." Maya tried again a few minutes later when her breathing had steadied, but Drew shook his head at her. He took the bottle from her and set it on the table behind him.

"I know what it's like." He told her. "You can't control when it happens, you just panic. No need to apologize for it."

"You know what it's like?" Maya was surprised. "What… What happened to you…?" Maya asked, then blushed thinking she was asking too much.

But Drew didn't falter, he just moved so that he was now sitting next to her. "It's a long, complicated story. Let's just say I suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress for a while... but it's been a while and I've gotten a lot better. Of course… losing my brother didn't help, but things always get better with time."

Maya looked down. "That's what everyone always says, but I'm not always sure that's true."

"It is." He said. "But you have to let go of all the bad stuff you've been holding onto before you can start getting better, even if that means letting go of someone you loved."

Maya was silent for a moment, but then somehow she found it in herself to laugh. "Katie used to always tell me you were as dumb as a rock." She told him, trying to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. "But that might have been one of the most poetic things I've ever heard, Mr. Torres."

Drew smiled at her and shrugged. "Well, I try."

They were quiet for a moment. Maya felt closer to him now that they had common ground. The feeling was mutual.

They had finally started to understand each other.

With this revelation, the seemingly unbreakable awkwardness between the two started to dissipate.

"So, did you come here for my excellent advice, or just to tell me that your sister thought I was an idiot?" Drew asked finally.

Maya shook her head, her smile fading quickly from her lips. "I came here to talk about… this." She gestured to her lower abdomen.

"I figured." Drew replied. "Look, I really want to help you out, I…"

Maya sighed. She had to tell someone the truth. She figured it might as well be him.

If he walked out now, it wouldn't be too Earth shattering. "Drew, there are some things you don't know."

Drew raised his eyebrows at her in confusion. "Well, then tell me."

So she did. She took a deep breath and told him how she wasn't sure who she had slept with that night at the party, that she had been sure it was Drew until Zig came forward. She told him about letting Zig believe it was his kid even though she wasn't sure. She told him about Zoë and Miles finding out and Miles's burning anger. She told him about how she would be forced to tell her parents before they found out some other way, and how scared she was that they would kick Zig and maybe even her out.

Then she told him about something that she didn't even realize herself. How scared she was of losing Zig. She told him that she realized that the real reason she hadn't told her friend the truth was because she thought he would be so angry at her that he would never want to see her again, and that wasn't something she could risk.

She told Drew everything and more, and he just listened patiently.

Unlike conversations with some other people Maya knew *cough cough Zigmund* there were no interruptions so she was able to finish every thought and explain everything to it's full extent.

After she was finished Drew sat back in silence for a moment contemplating what he had gotten himself into.

He had graduated high school months ago, but it seemed the drama insisted on following him.

"Well," he said after a while "that is a lot."

"Yeah…" Maya answered, looking down at her feet.

"If… If you want to be with this guy, if that's what you want and things are working out then" Drew sighed. "Forget about me. Just make things work with him."

"But what if it is yours…?'

"Keep me in the loop? Send me baby names you're considering, ultra sound pictures, come visit me and tell me how you're doing. For now though, do what you need to do. And if things do fall through with this other guy, I'll be here to help you out. I can be the kid's Uncle Drew or whatever. And if you want to know who the real father is, I'll be more than willing to lend my DNA."

Maya was taken aback, she had not expected this visit to work out like this at all.

"Why… Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked.

"I'm trying to do things right from now on." He told her.

Maya bit her lip. "I don't know what I want yet." She admitted.

Drew nodded. "That's okay." Then he shrugged "but I think maybe you should consider telling this Zig guy the truth. If he truly loves you the way he says he does, he'll stick around no matter what."

Maya started biting at one of her nails, her nervous tick, at the thought of confronting Zig with the truth.

"I'll think about it. But for now, can I trust you to keep everything a secret?" She asked him.

"Of course," he laughed " I mean who am I going to tell anyway?"

She smiled at him and gave him her thanks before heading back home.

* * *

"Maya, where have you been?!" Mrs. Matlin asked when her daughter walked through the door. It was 30 minutes after curfew.

"Sorry, I lost track of time." The girl replied, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Well, there's leftovers from dinner in the fridge."

The thought of food made Maya's stomach turn. "I'm actually not all that hungry. I think I'll just head upstairs and get ready for bed."

Her mother's expression quickly switched from irritation to concern as she eyed her youngest daughter.

She thought about how pale Maya had been looking these past few weeks and how reclusive she had been acting.

"Are you feeling alright, honey?" Mrs. Matlin asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit tired." Maya replied. She gave her mom a quick hug and then headed for the steps. "Goodnight." She called over her shoulder.

"Goodnight sweetheart…" Mrs. Matlin's tone was soft, but in her head she had begun putting some of the pieces together.

* * *

When Maya got to her room, all she wanted to do was change into her pajamas and go to sleep. But of course not, instead she found Zig sitting on her bed, holding a book with a bow on top.

He stood up quickly when he saw her. "Maya look, I know you're mad and I'm sorry. I want you to know that I am taking this seriously. I have thought about all those things you said, I don't know how many times. And I know it must be ten times worse for you because of everything you're going through right now, and I'm so sorry that I wasn't doing enough. I'll get a job, I'll get two jobs. Whatever I need to do to help you and to prove I'm serious."

Zig always made Maya's head spin, which could sometimes be a good thing. But that, mixed with how hard her heart was still pounding after her conversation with Drew was all just too much. It made it hard to understand everything he was saying.

She heard job. Job was good. And she also heard sorry. Sorry was even better.

When she didn't reply, Zig walked over to her and handed her the book.

Maya looked down at the cover:

One Thousand and One Baby Names

She opened to the first page and found the note that Zoë had read earlier that day.

"I meant to give this to you right after school today, but then everything went wrong. But I want you to have it. Even if you're still pissed at me, you should take it because names are important and I want our kid to have the best one. I mean…"

Maya dropped the book on her bed and threw her arms around him. Her eyes filled with tears, and this time she didn't blink them back.

"Don't ever leave me." She whispered into his chest.

"I won't, I promise." He said, holding her close.

In that moment, Maya felt safe. Zig would stay with her, Drew would support her, and everything would be okay.

But as the moment faded away and she left Zig's arms, another feeling took over her body.

Guilt.

Everything was working out... but could she keep lying to Zig, no not just to Zig but to her own child, forever?


	7. Chapter 7

"Don't you think so? Drew...? Drew!" Becky Baker had to shake her boyfriend's arm to snap him back to reality.

He had been like this a lot lately. He would just space out in the middle of a conversation and generally seemed disinterested in everything she had to say.  
"Uh... yeah that sounds... wait, what were you saying again?" Drew asked. He was looking at her now, but for some reason Becky didn't feel like he was actually seeing her.  
"Never mind, just forget it." She mumbled. She looked down at her light pink fingernails and tried to keep herself from going insane.  
She only had a week left with Drew. A week! But he was acting like she was already gone. Their relationship had been rocky for a while now, and if this was how they were going to treat each other in person, there was no way they could survive long distance.  
Becky cleared her throat. "Look Drew, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about..."  
Drew looked up at her, now completely back to reality. "Yeah, me too." He replied.  
Becky tried to smile at him. "Things between us... well... they've changed. I don't think we're on the same page anymore. And with me leaving for college in a few days... I think it's time we took our separate paths."  
Drew was going to say the same thing. There was nothing left between them, all the feelings had died a while ago. But it was still a little hard to swallow. His last high school friend, gone.

"I just think it's for the best." Becky added

Drew was quiet a moment and then he nodded. "You're right."  
Becky gave him a smile and held out her arms for a hug. "Friends?"

Drew nodded and hugged her. "Friends." He answered.

* * *

"Mom, Dad, there's something important I need to talk to you about."

Silence.

"Ugh! No, that's way too formal..." Maya Matlin was in her room, sitting on her bed. She was trying to figure out the best way to tell her parents the "news" and so far Google hadn't been very helpful.  
"Hey I got an A on my Math test, oh and by the way you're going to be grandparents! Yay!" She crossed that out. "Way too informal..."  
Then there was a knock on her door.  
Maya jumped and nearly threw her notebook across the room. She managed to hide it under her blanket when the door opened.  
"Hey." It was Zig.  
"I didn't say you could come in. What's the point of knocking if you're going to just barge in regardless?!"  
"It gives you time to hide whatever embarrassing thing you're doing at the moment."  
To her irritation, she felt herself blush. "I wasn't doing anything embarrassing..." She mumbled.  
"Uh huh..." Zig said as he grabbed her notebook out from under her blanket.  
"Ways to break the news to Mom and Dad" he read out loud, over Maya's protests. "Seriously?!"

"Well, I have to tell them soon, and I just don't know how!" She explained.

"Maya, I told you. Whatever happens, we're in this together. We'll tell them together, I'll be right there next to you and whatever happens, happens."

Maya sighed. "Alright." She said.

Zig closed the notebook and put it aside. "Do you feel better now?"

Maya nodded.

"Good, so I think we should tell them today."

"What?! No, I'm not ready!" she protested.

"There's never going to be a good time. But seriously Maya, you need to get to a doctor as soon as possible. At least tell your mom, she can help you!"

"Zig, no. I mean, I know she'll help me, but what about you?" Maya wouldn't be able to live with herself if Zig was thrown back onto the street.

"Let me worry about that, alright? Your Mom will be home with dinner soon, we're telling her then."

Maya collapsed on her bed defeated. "Fine."

Zig plopped down beside her and took her hand. "Don't be nervous, it'll be fine."  
Maya didn't answer him, and they stayed there like that in silence until they heard the front door open.

"I'm home!" Maya's mom yelled from downstairs.

Maya had dozed off a bit, but her eyes shot open at the sound of her mother's voice. She sat up and grabbed Zig's shoulder.

"I can't- I can't do it!" She whispered frantically.

Zig sat up and took her hand. "Yes, you can. You're so brave, and I'll be there the whole time to support you. You've got this."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away, stood up, and walked downstairs.

Maya forced herself to let go of Zig's hand before they entered the kitchen, leaving her feeling a bit unsteady. She entered ahead of him and found her mother unloading a bag of Chinese food onto the kitchen counter.

Maya cleared her throat. "Hey Mom."

Mrs. Matlin looked up at the two teenagers. Zig, who had some experience in acting, had composed himself. He looked like his usual collected self; however, her daughter was obviously upset. She was as pale as a ghost and was gripping the edge of the counter as if to keep herself from falling.

"Hey guys, is everything okay?" Mrs. Matlin asked.

Zig opened his mouth to say something, but Maya got to it first. "Yeah, everything is fine."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Matlin pressed, noticing her daughter's shaking fingers and the way Zig narrowed his eyes at her after she claimed everything was fine.

She tried her best not to sigh. Did these kids really think she was that blind?  
"Actually there was something we wanted to talk to you about." Zig said quickly. "If you have the time."

Mrs. Matlin nodded and sat down at the table.

Maya turned around and glared at Zig, but he just shook his head at her and walked over to sit down across the table from her mother.

Reluctantly, she followed.

"Alright, what's wrong?" Mrs. Matlin asked.

"We have um…" Zig paused and glanced over at Maya "good news, actually."

"Oh, really?" Mrs. Matlin focused all her attention on her youngest daughter, who looked as though she was going to be sick. "And what would that be, Maya?"

Maya flinched at the sound of her name; her heart was racing, her pulsing pounding in her ears. She could barely hear the conversation over her quick breaths.

"I… I… um…" She started but she couldn't finish.

_Deep breaths, _she told herself, _in through the nose out through the mouth_

Zig sat silently, he knew this was something Maya needed to do herself, but he really just wanted to rip the Band-Aid off himself.

Unable to watch the pitiful scene any longer, I closed my eyes.

"_You can do this Maya."_ I whispered, mostly to myself.

Suddenly Maya felt herself calm down; her breathing slowed and she was able to blink away the tears in her eyes.

She looked up at her mother, who sat across from her with a knowing look on her face, and grabbed Zig's hand as tightly as possible.

"I'm pregnant." She said. "Zig and I are going to have a baby."

Relief spread through every inch of Maya's body. It felt so good to finally tell her mother the truth.

Although she was scared, she didn't take her eyes off of her mother's face. It hadn't changed.

Mrs. Matlin sighed. "I was afraid that was what this was. Well, you've certainly placed me in a very difficult position."

Maya looked down.

"Mrs. Matlin, I am so…" Zig started.

Mrs. Matlin cut him off. "I'll get to you in a minute Zig. Maya, have you been to a doctor yet?"

Maya shook her head.

"Well, how long have you known about this?"

"I found out in July… but we… er… it happened in May." Maya answered truthfully.

"So you're four months pregnant and you haven't been to a doctor yet?! Maya, do you have any idea how crucial that is?!" Mrs. Matlin exclaimed.

"I… well… I guess that's why I'm telling you now. So that you can help me."

Mrs. Matlin sighed once again. "Well, I can't say I am happy. But we will make the best of this situation, and I will help you however I can, sweetheart."

Mrs. Matlin reached across the table and gave Maya's hand a quick squeeze.

"As for you, Zig." She began.

"Mom, please!" Maya begged, but Mrs. Matlin held up a hand to silence her.

"I let you come into my home, I treated you as if you were my own, and gave you only a few simple rules to follow. You broke one of those rules." She stated.

Zig nodded. "I know. I'm sorry Mrs. Matlin, I never meant to betray your trust. I'll be out as soon as possible."

"I'm not going to make you leave." Mrs. Matlin replied quietly.

"What?!" Maya and Zig exclaimed in unison.

"In any other circumstance, you would be gone immediately. But, seeing as Maya is going to need you for a while, I suppose you can stay. On one condition, you have to get a job."

"Thank you so much Mrs. Matlin!" Zig said.

She smiled at Zig and then turned back to Maya. "Your father will be home late, I'll talk to him then so you won't have to, and I'll make you a doctor's appointment as soon as possible."

Maya nodded and all three stood up from the table. Zig headed straight for the food, but Maya stayed behind with her mom.

"Thanks Mom." She said quietly.

Mrs. Matlin turned to her and smiled sadly. "Of course."

Maya smiled back and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"I love you, Mom."  
"I love you too, Maya."

* * *

Sorry for the extremely long wait! If you want to know how long ago I started this chapter, in the beginning Becky was breaking up with Drew for Jonah!


	8. Chapter 8

**Maya:**

The waiting was the worst part for her. She was sitting in the waiting room for her first prenatal appointment. She fidgeted in her seat, feeling super uncomfortable. All around the room she could feel eyes on her. There were only a few people there; couples mostly, and women with big round bellies. She put a hand on her stomach, feeling her small bump. She was starting to show now. Zig said it wasn't noticeable, but she knew he was lying.

She felt like the other people in the room were all judging her. The receptionist, the husbands and wives; all looking at her and thinking to themselves: _Look at her, she's so young. Just another statistic, a life wasted. Didn't anyone educate her on using protection?_

She focused her eyes on the floor. Another bad thing was that her mother couldn't come with her. So she had to go alone with Zig, who seemed to be totally unaware of her paranoia.

_This sucks._ She thought angrily. She wondered what it would be like to be sitting here next to Drew. Would it be ten times more awkward? Or would he bring her comfort?

She didn't know, and that scared her.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the nurse call her name.

Zig tapped her on the shoulder. "Come on." He said.

She didn't want to come on, she wanted to run home. But she knew she had to do this. It was, after all, her own fault that she had to be here in the first place.

She stood up and her legs moved mechanically towards the nurse who had called her name.

Zig followed behind. She wished he would just stay in the waiting room, but she didn't say anything, she didn't want to upset him.

"Ms. Matlin?" The nurse asked.

Maya nodded.

"Right this way, please." The nurse smiled at her, but Maya thought it looked a little forced. She looked tired and bored.

Maya smiled back thinking she probably looked exactly the same.

The nurse led them to a room, and then, there was more waiting.

"This is taking forever." She sighed. "I can't remember a time when I wasn't sitting in this stupid doctor's office."

Zig laughed. He actually laughed.

Maya felt like slapping him for some reason; she chalked it down to hormones.

He didn't look nervous at all. He didn't shift around in his seat, he didn't look around the room with a horrified expression. All he did was look at her. It was unnerving.

"Patience, Maya." He said.

Maya put her head back.

This didn't have anything to do with patience. It had everything to do with shame.

Maya just knew that the doctor would come in, take one look at her face, and know she was a liar.

They would know what she was doing. They would know she didn't know who the father was. She knew it was stupid… but these doctors saw people like her every day. Maybe those people had a certain look on them, a guilty look.

Finally the doctor entered. Maya was eternally grateful to see that it was a woman.

She greeted the two teenagers warmly and introduced herself as Dr. Lawson.

Maya tried to gage whether her fears had come true, but the doctor showed no sign of disdain. She seemed nice, friendly.

I'll go ahead and sum everything that happened in the appointment up: a lot of questions were asked, and a lot of questions were answered. They were questions about things like diet and how far along Maya thought she might be.

Then came the exciting part, the ultrasound.

Maya gripped Zig's hand a little too tight as the doctor squeezed the cold gel onto her skin.

After sliding the wand around for a few minutes, the doctor spoke.

"I would say you're at about 19 weeks. You're due on January 18."

January? Maya counted in her head; that was almost five months! That meant she only had four months left. Four months from now a living, breathing baby would come out of her.

She almost fainted at the thought.

"Would you like to know the gender?" Dr. Lawson asked the two.

Maya barely heard her, all caught up in her swirling thoughts again.

Maya felt both sets of eyes on her and looked up. She looked at the doctor's face to avoid looking at the screen next to her. That would make everything just too real.

She shrugged and looked over to Zig who gave her an encouraging nod. She knew what it meant, whatever she wanted, he wanted. But she didn't want to make the decision, it made her feel alone. She wished she would've asked Drew whether or not he wanted to know. He always had an opinion to share.

"Yes." She finally said, just to relieve the tension (that she was mostly just imagining.)

"You are having a beautiful little girl. She seems very healthy too." Dr. Lawson answered.

A girl. Suddenly an image flashed into Maya's mind; a little girl with big blue eyes and black hair; smiling, laughing, playing the piano.

She couldn't help it, she smiled.

The doctor took the wand away and wiped away the gel.

"Now there are a few things I suggest when I get a younger patient like you." Dr. Lawson said. "First and foremost is seeing a counselor to go over your options and decide which is best for you and your child. Also, if you would want a paternity test for any reason, I would be happy to explain to you the different options, one being a prenatal test."

"You can do that?" Maya asked, at the same time Zig said "That won't be necessary."

The two looked at each other and Maya felt her face flush.

The doctor looked at them. "Should I give you two a moment?" she asked.

Maya panicked, she didn't want to be alone with Zig, she was afraid he might ask her questions she didn't have the answers to.

"No!" she said quickly. "I was just surprised. I didn't know that you could do a paternity test this early."

The doctor nodded. "It's a relatively new practice, all we need to do is to take a sample of the mother's blood and swab the father's cheek and send it away for testing."

Maya tried to keep her face blank, but she felt sick. This could give her the answer she had been looking for.

She looked over at Zig. He was glaring at her with that jealous, impatient look of his.

"Is there anything else?" Maya asked quietly.

"I don't think so. I'll just get you a copy of your sonogram and then you can go."

* * *

As they left the doctor's office, both teenagers were silent. Maya carefully held the sonogram in one hand and looked at the ground.

Suddenly Zig stopped walking. She nearly ran right into him, but caught herself just in time.

"What?" She asked.

"Is there something we need to talk about?!" He asked. He was mad, that was never good.

"No, there's nothing." She replied.

"Why did you ask about a paternity test?" He pushed.

"I… I didn't. The doctor brought it up. I was just interested." She said, but she didn't look at him. "And truthfully it might be a good idea to get one just to, you know, make sure… I mean, neither of us are very clear on that night and there were a lot of people there. Something could have…"

Zig cut her off. "It was us." He said sharply.

"Oh really? Do you remember? Have you magically regained you memories?" She finally looked up at his face. He looked hurt.

"No… but I just know okay? I thought we both knew."

She took his hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. It was us, you're right, it was us."

As she said this she tried to make herself believe it, but she still wasn't sure.

She had to keep lying to him and it was killing her.

"You're the only good thing in my life, Maya; you… and our baby." He said with a shaky voice.

The intensity of his gaze made Maya shiver. She couldn't think of anything to say so she just kept quiet.

She felt the urge to cry, but she couldn't. Not now, not in front of him.

She was quiet the whole way home; thinking about what the truth would do to Zig, how it would tear him apart. But she also thought about how the all the lies were tearing her apart.

_If he really loves me, then when I tell him the truth, no matter how bad it may be, he'll stay. _She thought.

When they got to the front door, Maya had decided.

She was going to get a paternity test. If Zig wouldn't help her, fine. She knew someone that would.

She wanted to learn the truth. She wanted to start telling the truth.

**_A list of things Maya will soon learn about telling the truth:_**

**_-It rarely comes without consequence _**

**_-Someone always gets hurt_**

**_-Nothing goes according to plan_**

* * *

**AN: I really hope there are some awesome and patient people out there still reading this! I have been in a creative slump for so long! And it doesn't help that I no longer have Degrassi. (No Netflix) I'll definitely keep working on this story! **


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I apologize if this feels like a bit of a filler chapter. I've got some cool things planned and I'm trying to build up to them! I promise there will be more Drew in the next few chapters! I feel like it's been all Zig, all the time lately! But that's just how it worked out. Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

* * *

Getting a chance to talk to Drew was difficult, especially with Zig being all paranoid.

Maya had sent Drew a text that night asking him if they could meet up to talk. But the scheduling was difficult.

He had classes and a job and she had high school and Zig. Sneaking out to see him at night would make her seem very suspicious if she got caught. And Zig was keeping tabs on her during the day.

It had been a whole week since she found out the gender, and she still hadn't had a chance to talk to him.

Of course, she did have other people to deal with.

Katie and her mom were very excited when she told them that the baby was a girl.

Her sonogram sat on her bedside table. She didn't really like looking at it. It was too overwhelming.

Zig had been pestering her about baby names since the appointment, but for some reason Maya was uninterested.

She had to talk to Drew, she had to try to remember that night, she had to think about school; she didn't have time to be excited or happy. Everything was just too complicated.

One night, while Maya was texting Drew about their terrible schedules, Zig knocked lightly on her door.

Maya quickly deleted all her messages from the other boy and sat her phone on her bedside table. She walked over to the door with a sigh. She cracked the door open and peered out into the hallway.

He was standing there, still dressed in the clothes he wore to school.

"What do you want?" she whispered.

"I can't sleep. Can I come in for a sec?" He asked.

Maya nodded and opened the door.

He entered, shutting the door behind him.

"You know, my mom wouldn't like you being in my room." She said.

He laughed a little. "You're already pregnant, what else could go wrong?"

She could think of many things, but she kept quiet.

"Not that the baby is wrong or anything, just… Well, you know what I mean." He rambled. "Look, I've been thinking about last week, at the appointment. I shouldn't have gotten so jealous over nothing. I hope you're not mad at me."

"It's fine, there's nothing to be mad about." Why did she keep lying? It was as if she had become addicted to it.

Lies are so much easier, aren't they? They are so much easier than telling a harsh truth.

When I was alive I lied about so many things. I didn't think it was important. I didn't think it would hurt anyone. Looking back, I wish I had just told the truth. But, in that moment when you are faced with the decision between a truth that could change everything and a lie that will keep things steady, it is far too tempting to keep the balance.

"Good" Zig replied, but he didn't leave.

He lingered near the edge of her bed.

"Anything else?" she asked him, a little impatiently.

He gave her a nervous smile and sat down on her bed. "Well, now that we know it's a girl... have you thought up any names for baby Novak?"

She flinched.

_Novak_.

Was that even going to be her child's last name?

"Isn't it a little early for that?"

Zig shrugged. "You're 5 months pregnant, I'd say it's fine to throw a few around. I thought… well it's a little exciting."

"It is 1 o'clock in the morning, Zig. I don't want to talk about the baby right now." She grumbled.

"Oh come on, Maya. Just a few minutes and then I won't bring it up again." He begged.

"Fine."

"Where's that name book I got you?"

Maya thought for a moment. Had she lost his book? No, no, she had hidden it in her closet back when her mom didn't know.

"It's in my closet, on the shelf at the top." She told him.

He rushed over to her closet and looked. He didn't have to stand on his tiptoes to see the top shelf like she always did.

She noticed this, but she didn't notice him freeze. She didn't notice him pull the dark blue collared shirt that still smelled like Drew Torres out of its hiding spot. The shirt Maya had worn to escape the Torres house.

He stood completely still for a moment, the shirt in his hands. He thought about asking her about it. He knew he should, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to know. Besides, she would just get angry at him for being jealous again.

He shoved the shirt aside and grabbed the book.

"Here it is." He said as if he had been spending all that time looking for it.

"Alright, come on." She said, patting the spot next to her.

He quickly returned to her, shoving the thought of the shirt out of his mind.

"So what do you want to go for? Something musical? Melody, perhaps? Nah, maybe that's too cheesy. Maybe a flower name? Violet, Lilly, Rose, Magnolia?" He rambled as he flipped through the book.

"I… I don't know. What do you like?" She asked, peering over at the book.

"Well, for the A's I think Amber is nice. I wouldn't mind a Caroline or an Olivia. Maybe Hope."

"Those are nice… but I don't know."

"Well, take a look!" he said handing her the book.

So many names were listed, and beside them alternate spellings and what they meant.

She was completely overwhelmed. "It didn't realize there were so many names…"

"Yeah, it's a lot to take in I guess." Zig shrugged. "Just think about what will sound good with the last name."

She looked at him. She was finally feeling a bit of excitement over the whole thing.

So she went through the A's and then the B's, reading each name aloud.

_Anna Novak_

_Brynn Novak_

_Cara Novak_

_Danielle Novak_

When she looked over at him, she realized he had closed his eyes. She closed the book thinking he was asleep.

At the sound, his eyes opened. "Why'd you stop?" he asked.

"I thought you were asleep."

He shook his head. "No, I was just picturing her, ya know. Each time you said a name I could see this little kid with my eyes and your smile or my nose and your hair." He sighed as if the whole thing was some wonderful fantasy. "Whatever we name her… she'll be ours. A perfect mixture of the two of us."

_She'll be ours_

_The two of us_

Maya tried to stop herself, but the tears came too quickly.

Zig looked at her alarmed. Were they happy tears? Or had he upset her?

"Maya?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sorry… I just…" she wiped her eyes. "I'm scared. I'm so scared. I can't…"

Zig quickly wrapped his arms around her and she pushed her teary face into his chest.

"You can" he told her. "It's okay to be scared. I'm scared too. But it will be alright, we'll be alright."

_We_

Why did he keep saying that?! Why was he making this so damn hard?!

"Everything is going to change." She mumbled.

She didn't mean that her life was going to change because of the baby. She meant no matter what, no matter who the father was, she would be at a loss.

She would always have to keep the secret from him, even if it was his.

Their relationship… their friendship, would never ever be the same.

"Yeah…" Zig said. He rubbed her back gently. "But it will be a good change, a happy change. I'll be here. I'll always be here. That is one thing that will never change."

Maya closed her eyes. She liked the feeling of Zig's strong arms around her, his soothing voice in her ear. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to be content.

So she let herself. For that moment, she let herself believe that everything was going to be alright. She let herself imagine a future with her best friend. She let herself fall asleep in Zig Novak's arms.

Not a single nightmare plagued her that night.

But, as we all know, all good things must come to an end.

When she woke up the next morning, a Saturday, Zig was gone. However, she could still feel his warmth, so she snuggled deeper into the covers. She didn't want to come out of her fantasy.

She didn't realize that Zig was on the way to start losing his.

* * *

He walked down the familiar street, his eyes focused on the ground. Yes, coming back here was probably a terrible idea. But he needed to tell her. He just wanted her to know.

Things with him and Maya had been going really well. He was still smiling about last night. The names, the tears, and the trust they had; it was so real.

That's why he needed to tell her. It was the final step to making all of this a reality.

Zig could see it, just ahead of him; the old store. He remembered the long days he used to spend there. He remembered growing up there. He remembered being told never to come back there.

He cringed at the memory. His mother had cast him out, but not without good reason. What he did… But all that was behind him. She knew that. She knew that he was good.

He saw her then. She was wiping down the glass doors, preparing to open.

It was early, she still had a good thirty minutes before she would open the doors.

He tried to take a step forward, but his body was frozen. He took a deep breath.

The whole walk here he had been thinking about what he would say to her.

But now, he couldn't remember anything. He wanted to go back home; back to Maya and his kid and comfort.

He almost did. He was taking a step backwards when she saw him.

A lonely figure on the sidewalk. A boy with his hands in his pockets and a sleeveless shirt even though it was fall. Her son.

She put down the rag she was using and opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" She called to him.

Zig didn't know what to do. He couldn't exactly explain everything out here in the street, but would she let him in?

He walked across the street and stopped a few feet from the door. "I… I wanted to talk to you. It's kind of… well I have good news."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Good news, huh? Alright, come in. Only for a few minutes though, I have to open soon."

He felt too formal. He felt nervous. His hands were sweating in his pockets.

"So what is this good news?" She asked him. She was double tasking as always, talking and stocking shelves.

"Well," he paused. How to approach this?

"You remember Maya Matlin, right?" he asked.

"Of course, the friend that let you move into her home. The one you liked a lot." She smiled.

"Yes, well Maya and I are kind of together now… I think. Anyway the point is…" he stopped. He was getting a bad feeling. A feeling like this was not going to turn out the way he wanted it to.

"The point is?" His mom was obviously getting frustrated with him for being so vague.

"I love her, Mom. I really really love her. I care about her a lot, and I'm going to take care of her… her and our child."

His mother dropped the box she had been holding. It hit the ground with a great **thud**.

"I'm sorry… What?!" She asked.

Zig flinched. Her tone was sharp. "I'm… well Maya and I were going to be parents. It's a girl. You're going to be a grandparent." There was a tense silence. "Yay…" he added nervously.

"Zigmund Novak, you are sixteen years old. You're telling me that you got a young girl pregnant at sixteen years old?!"

He nodded, even though it wasn't really a question.

"I thought you were learning more responsibility! Her parents trusted you to be respectful while staying in their home, and you thank them by impregnating their daughter?!" She sighed, and rubbed her forehead which was now throbbing. "I'm… I'm very disappointed in you."

"But, Mom…"

"I have to open the store. You shouldn't be in this neighborhood, it's dangerous for you. Go, you're no use to your child dead."

"Mom…" but her back was turned to him.

He knew it was time to go. He knew he wouldn't be coming back.

And that… well, that crushed him.

* * *

Zig was walking back down the street, his eyes cast down.

He felt dejected. He felt angry.

He could never tell Maya about this. She would feel bad. She would think somehow it was her fault.

No, he'd bare this burden alone.

"Hey Novak!" Zig looked up.

Standing in front of him was a guy he knew from the old neighborhood and school, Tyler. He was bad news.

"Tyler." He responded with a nod. He didn't slow down to talk, but Tyler didn't seem to mind. He followed after him.

"Heard you got a kid on the way, congrats."

"Yeah, thanks." He needed to get away. He needed to get out of this part of town.

"I bet you're pretty freaked out, man. Kids eat up a hell of money." Tyler laughed. "I guess you already know that though. That's why you're back here then? Looking for a way to make some quick cash?"

Zig stopped dead and turned to him. "No. That is not why I'm here. I don't do that kind of stuff anymore."

"Oh, right… I forgot. You're putting on the good guy act now. Well, if you were looking for some money, I could set you up. I know some guys that would be willing to help you out."

No. He couldn't go back to that life, not now. Maya was depending on him. His kid was depending on him.

But I'd be lying if I told you that he didn't consider it for a minute.

"Thanks, but no. I'll be fine." He responded finally.

Tyler shrugged. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where you can find me. Just go home, think about it. It'd be a pretty sweet deal. I mean, isn't a crib alone like a couple hundred bucks?"

"I don't know. I haven't…" Zig sighed, realizing he hadn't looked into stuff like that at all. He had promised Mrs. Matlin and Maya that he would get a job. So far, he hadn't had much luck…

"Look, I have to go." Zig said. He pushed past the guy and didn't look back.

* * *

That night, Zig sat in his bed and googled baby items and their prices.

To his great horror, he realized that he was in way over his head.

He shook his head. He would get a job somewhere, he'd work overtime.

He'd do whatever it took to make this work.

But the more he googled, the more tempting Tyler's offer became.

Maybe… maybe he could pull it off…


End file.
